As you may already be aware, the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) recently released a draft reform of the WissZeitVG, setting off another round of debate about the future of academic employment in Germany. prompting another round of discussions about the future of academic employment in Germany. In collaboration with the PhD network N2, we are working on incorporating the perspectives of doctoral researchers into the discussions in Berlin and have been in contact with the ministry. If you had not yet a chance to read the draft, we have linked the pdf below for you.

Ministerys Draft WissZeitVG_2026.pdf

As representatives of doctoral researchers in Germany, we have been invited to provide feedback on the draft by 16 June. We are currently discussing this issue within the executive council, and we would like to ensure that our response reflects the views of as many doctoral candidates as possible. To this end, we would like to invite you to a town hall meeting on 11 June from 5 pm to 7 pm.

During the meeting, we would like to discuss the proposed reform and hear your thoughts on our demands concerning the WissZeitVG. This legislation directly affects the working conditions and career prospects of doctoral researchers, so it is important that we contribute to the discussion and advocate for meaningful improvements. You can find our current and previous position papers on the WissZeitVG here on our website.

We would be delighted to see as many of you as possible and be a part of this change!